Being More Productive While Working From Home

Being productive sometimes seems impossible especially when working from home. In fact, it can sometimes feel like you’re simply slamming your face into the wall. In fact, if you're a member of Niche Blitzkrieg you've probably heard me speak of productivity before.

Think of all of your daily distractions…

Cell Phones

TVs

Instant Messengers

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Radios

Household drama

Just normal day-to-day life

Unknowns (car breaks down, tree falls through roof, etc.)

Let’s face it, even when we are doing something fun like working from home sometimes we’d rather be playing video games, having a glass of wine instead of working or just laying out in the sun….

…and that is just some of the millions of possible distractions.

So how do we get a handle on this? How do we overcome our ability to become sidetracked or overcome chronic procrastination?

Self-Discipline…..

When building your own business and working from home it’s easy to become distracted at any given time of the day. You MUST be self-disciplined or you have a long road ahead of you.

I am going to list the ways that I avoid setbacks and give you a clear concise path to follow so you may do the same. Keep in mind while reading these I have my moments where I don’t follow this as well.

The result? Bad stuff.

I am going to start with some things that most people overlook first before stating the obvious “but little used” things.

All of the things below tie into self-discipline in some way.

Set Goals

Always set goals. Whether they are small goals, large goals, short term goals, long term goals or even goals you think are silly, set them! Goal setting will help you keep focused on the prize ahead. Look at your goals weekly (yes, even on the long term goals). Looking at your goals periodically will help keep you motivated.

The more motivated you are, the less likely you’ll want to procrastinate or become distracted and fall in the shallow pool of being non-productive.

I am not going to break down goal setting here as I’ve already done that at my goal setting page.

Build Your Self Esteem

Believe it or not poor self-esteem is one to the biggest problem creators in this universe. When we allow negativity to creep in we allow failure to show its ugly head. Poor self-esteem leads us to make poor choices as well. When we lose track of whom we and what we are we sometimes stop caring about our outcome and take our eyes off the prize.

Feel good about who you are! If you don’t feel good about yourself then you need to work on it and it will make a world of difference.

Here is an older post I put together about self-esteem issues and particularly some of my past issues…

…and now back to the basics. These might seem so simple below, but count how many have distracted you.

Turn Off Your Cell Phone

Do you have one of those Smart Phones? Yea, they are great. Except now it’s like having an entertainment center everywhere you go and giving people the ability to bug contact you anytime.

It’s great to have one of these gadgets when you’re stranded at the airport, bored at 2 a.m., on a long trip (and you’re not the one driving), need to look up some quick information or to have when you actually do need people to reach you.

So what’s the problem?

Most people have them turned on 24/7 and when we do, we limit our personal productivity. How many times have you been writing or working diligently on something and then someone knocks on your door or calls you and your mind is away from whatever you were doing for 5,10,15 minutes or even longer?

Now, think about what it was like going back to that task? Were you able to start exactly where you left off without hesitation? If so, congratulations you’re part of the 1% that can do that. I’m not.

Trust me, kill the cell.

Darn You Facebook!

OK, to be fair to Facebook it’s really all social media. This includes Pinterest, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Forums, Snip-It and any of the 1000 other social media networks out there.

Turn them off while you’re trying to get things done. It may not seem like much but each 5-6 minute distraction adds up throughout the day.

Don’t mistake what I am saying at all. Those networks have their place in building your business but they also have fun distractions. Fun distractions while trying to be more productive do not mix very well at all.

Radio, T.V. & News = Distraction

This is one of my weaknesses. I watch the NFL network all the time because I love football. Some days I’ll be in my office (I don’t dare put a T.V. in the office) and I’ll leave the T.V. on & tuned to the NFL Network in the next room.

I’ll be working and then I’ll hear “Breaking News!” Guess what? I stop working and run into the next room to hear what this breaking news is. Usually, I think it’ll only keep me away from my work for a couple of minutes. However, 35 minutes later I come strolling back to my office and it’s not easy to pick up where I left off.

I am sure I could go on and on about distractions but you get the point here. Tune out and turn off the distractions when you need to really just “get it done.”

It’s Not Just All About Distractions Though….

There is something back in the old drugstore days that took me quite a while to understand. I would work many hours and many days on end.

Sleep Well Tonight

I can share some funny stories with you about why you should never take sleeping medication when you’re already exhausted

(Men, ever been carried to bed by your wife? I have! Ladies, ever carry your man to bed? Anyway, another time another place – feel free to ask me and I’ll probably share this one with you).

I’d always assumed that working constantly was the only way to get things done.

Heck, I think it might have been the companies motto “Work and never stop working until you die!” I should have had that tattooed on my chest at the time.

Here’s the problem. If you always work, never take breaks, skip sleep, ignore all fun and basically become a slave to work it’ll destroy production and productivity.

I worked with a man named Tom at the time (who I am still friends with to this day) and he’d say things like “Hey, if we don’t stay here all night and keep working it’ll still be sitting here tomorrow.”

That’s a great thought process but he forgot to factor in that we’d already worked 12 hours straight by the time he said that. By the time hour 17 rolled around our bodies were disagreeing with his philosophy & our productivity dropped to a slow crawling pace.

Instead we should have stopped after a few hours of overtime and slept and gotten our rest before starting again. I’ve tested this several times now and every time I am rested I get much more work done.

Make sure you get sleep to increase your production. Along with getting sleep I’ve found that sleeping early and rising early works best for me. Not only do I feel well rested I feel at peace while I work. I also feel best with 7-8 hours of sleep, no more and no less.

I used to be a night owl and in fact, sometimes I still am. I like to work in the middle of the night in the silence. The problem I run into there is sometimes I ignore being tired and actually get less don in the middle of the night than I do after a good night of rest and rising early.

Coffee Time!

I love coffee and I am not ashamed to admit it! I drink 3-5 cups per day. I usually drink 2 cups in the morning and 2-3 in the afternoon. The caffeine helps stimulate the alertness in the brain, inspires creativity and tastes awesome!

Of course, overusing it will not benefit you at all so be careful. In fact, if you want to learn more Life Hacker had a great study on coffee effects here.

Exercise

I can’t stress the need to exercise enough. When I first quit my job I gained 40 pounds in under 2 years. I started noticing a decrease in my health, productivity and my mindset suffered. In return I also took a severe blow to my self-esteem.

I have worked much of that off. In fact I do P90X now and feel MUCH better on a regular basis. What I’ve found is that just 20-30 minutes of exercise followed by a shower helps stimulate my mind.

When I sit back down at my desk and start working after that routine I find that my work ethic has increased, my attitude has increased for the better and I am extremely alert.

Trust me, try it!

Do Your Most Important Task First

Finally, one of my favorite things that provides great productivity is to tackle my biggest task first. Often, we try to knock-off the little projects first and get to the big one later in the day. The problem with that is sometimes by the time we tackle all of those little projects we miss out on the biggest project and put it off until the next day.

The result? We start the next day by tackling the little projects again, getting distracted and pushing the big task off, again. It’s a vicious never ending cycle.

So, do the #1 most important task early in the day while that cell phone is still off, Facebook window is shut, T.V is off, the rest of the family is sleeping and you have an overall time period of less distraction.

This works for me and I found that when I do not follow this method my productivity suffers. Sure, I get those little tasks done but the big one just sits there taunting me.

In closing I challenge you to change your life just a little bit! The things I outlined above work for me and when I do not use them I feel the effects.

What methods are you using? Share them with us below. Maybe you have some better ideas? Maybe you know something that will help people that work at home.

Michael Brown

I'm Michael S. Brown, Internet Marketer, husband and father. I have been successful in business and marketing since 1998. In 2007 I took to the internet marketing world and have never looked back.
I love teaching people the knowledge that I have acquired and the ultimate boost to my ego is to see everyone I teach succeed in business. My goal is to make everyone who comes into contact with me as successful or even more successful than myself.

I totally agree.My wife Renee and I purchased your program over a year ago. We should have done something with it but life got in the way. So last month I decided to start your program, wow this is great stuff. I already had two websites so goes the name Marketing Solutions Systems. I followed you and went to wordpress marketing Solutions Systems turns out to be Tools and Electronic Product Review. I had to really concentrate to keep my mind on what I need to do.This is my job just like a job where you get up in the morning have a cup of coffee and head to the office. Even though i will be working from home I can't call off everytime I don't feel like working. Your program is the best out there I just need to keep my chin up and proceed. When I reach the goal of making a living at it then I will take a BREAK.

Hey Michael
I know exactly what your talking about here. Just had a productive day going and I decided to stop for a moment and check my emails. Of course that disstracted me and before I knew it an hour had gone bye what with responding to them and jumping over here to read your article. So your partly to blame for my lack of productivity. LOL.
Anyways, great article and I can definatly relate to the coffee thing. By the pot, here.
check out my Niche Blitzkrieg Review, http://businessonlinereview.com/niche-blitzkrieg-report/

Thanks Michael,
Very good, solid, practical stuff. A few other mindset helps are : (1) to believe what you are doing is important (2) it has a good chance of actually happening (3) there is a good dose of pleasure or enjoyment in the work. The more I have of those 3, the easier it is for me to get after it.

hey again Michael
You mentioned above the new graphics . I got code at http://www.theprofithq.com/tools/NBK.html (old Graphics)
Is there a new area in which I can obtain the more recent graphics. Its eluding me
thanks

Hi Michael, I purchased your program a long time ago it seems but, personally, I think it is one of the best out there. I have been bombarded with so many emails from others promoting their affiliate programs and I think that's why I have not had a chance to work on my website. I get so frustrated that I second guess myself and have struggled to get my site up and running. I feel as if I hit a wall but want to get back on track so I'll go back to the lessons and see where I left off.
Thanks again,
Lucy

You bring up another good point. Emails can slow you down & cause distraction. I recently unsubscribed from about 85% of the people I was subscribed to. If someone is always selling you something it’s probably not agood list to be on.

I am pretty straightforward. I do promote things but great content& helpful posts / promotion ratio is probably about 85%/15%. If you’re on lists that have that lopsided or even 50/50 get off. I can never find that many products that I would actually stamp my name on in approval.

I would personally unsubscribe from as many people as possible (except mine!) lol.

After you unsubscribe from them sit down and plot out your goals. After you plot out your goals start building your website and stay at it! Trust me, if you put in the time and work at it you’ll be better for 2 months from now than you are today and every day you’ll be closer to your goal than you were the day before. But, if you allow distractions to keep creeping in your come back to this post next year no better than you are right now. The key is knowing when to get off someone’s email list and when to stay on.

If any email is causing a distraction unsubscribe and yes, that includes mine if they are causing you to falter 🙂

When I used to build houses and we had to get a lot of walls done in one day, that was the rally call, "Time for head down and ass in the air!" It's much the same when I need to get a guide done, a sales page written, or a site built. I put my head down and focus on the task. Ignore all else!

Doing the most important task first is key for me but as you say, it's often the hardest and easier to put to one side. If you find this happening maybe you need to break it down to smaller chunks. The only reason it is hard is becuase it seems too complex. when you do an important task and complete it you are more likely to get a sense of achievement at the end of the day which can motivate you for the next day as you feel you are making bigger strides towards you goals.

Thanks for the tips Mike. I'm big on productivity too. Sounds like I need to drink more coffee though!
Do you have any kids? That is something that can really be distracting. From the noise of yelling and crying to them running into my office and wanting to watch youtube.
Catch you around.
Stu

I actually have 1, 4 year old son. And yes at times he can be a distraction…lol Sometimes a good one asit reminds me to have a little more fun and sometimes the "I need something" every 5 minutes kind.

running into my office and wanting to watch youtube.

LOL It's amazing how young kids are that are watching stuff on Youtube now. I wish I had Youtube when I was growing up! But, you bring up a great point of possible distractions just from a normal household standpoint.

Michael, every thing you said was correct. You need to squash the distractions. However, there are two areas that I struggle with in addition to those you mentioned.
The BIG thing I have found that keeps me from being productive is the lack of proper office space. I, most often, work on my laptop while sitting on my bed in my bedroom. This lends itself to all kinds of bad things. Naps, to be one. LOL!
Every time I set down to work, I first have to make sure that I have all of the things I need with me. Pens, pencils, paper, notes, iced tea (MY drink of choice), power cord, etc. Since I don't have a desk set up, I have to go find all of these things and remember where I put them OR find where my husband put them when he cleaned last. Yes, he does my cleaning! As you can imagine, there are times it takes me hours to get settled with my nose to the grindstone. So, I am working on getting an office set up.
The other issue that keeps me from being productive is a lack of confidence in my knowledge of the computer process I need to use to get the job done. At first, I would often put off submitting articles because I wasn't confident in what to write and where to submit it. There is so much information and so many programs that claim to help you automate and I find myself being paralized by the choices and information, then convince myself that I don't know what I am doing.
What I have found is that I need to focus on the skills that you have taught and not get led into other ideas, no matter how good they sound. Keep things simple and to the point…and do things the "NBK" way!
As a matter of fact, I think I am going to put a post it on my computer tray that says "ONLY THE NBK WAY!" LOL!
Thanks, Michael!

Hi Michael,
Great ideas and advice here! I wrote something similar to this on I've Tried That since I now also work FT at home as a freelance writer. In any case, I'm about to do a brief review of your N.B. system on the same website. I purchased N.B. back in March 2009 and it's been extremely helpful for me- and not just in terms of building niche websites. If you'd like to add anything more about your system (e.g., updates, videos), please let me know. I heard that you did revamp N.B. so it's probably a lot different than it used to be. Also, I'm sure that some of the recent changes on Google have eliminated some of your older recommended ranking tactics (e.g., backlinking, article spinning). Thank you again.

Wow! I glad I'm not the only one out there that has been struggling because of too many distractions. I've started to 'unsubscribe' myself off of those pesky newsletters and emails I signed up for but I still have a ways to go, I've found alot of stragglers, lol. I also receive other newsletters that have nothing to do with affiliate marketing that I need to decide which ones to get rid of and which ones to keep. Emails! Just get too many of them. I'll stay focussed now that I also put a 'post it note' up above the corner of my laptop that reads "NBK is the ONLY way!".
I can't wait to get back in and see all the new stuff that's waiting for me.
Thanks again!

You are right Michael.. When i grab a cup of coffee in the morning, and head into my small office to get to work. I tern off TV,Cell Phone ect… I turn off all distractions. Thank you for the good INFO. 🙂

Michael I sign up with your program a lettle over a month ago and I am yet to get my first wegsite completed, I keep hitting some snags alon the way. I have spend a lot of time with wordpress in order to complete my post under the three different links and I am still working about giving a description of why I am writing on this subject, do I understand that I just need a brief description of what I offer or do I need to have so many words writing in those links?
Once I have my site publish how do I make money with it, who pays me to read my instructions and how? This is still a little vague for me, I undersstand how affeliaqte pays but how2 do they know where to send the money?
Reg.

Hi Michael.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts I can relate to quite a few of the points mentioned above. I have purchased your program a few months ago and started but consulting work, that I do on a part time basis, got in the way as well as family stuff. And you are so right about darn FB, emails and instant messaging.
Also, I got stuck on your old course too, I am so not a computer person, lol, and had a hard time getting motivated. I am so glad that you just released a new version of your course because now I can't wait to get on it.
I have set my schedule, something that works for me. It worked in the past so I can keep it up now. So this is what I am going to do. I have written this on a simple piece of paper that I keep next to my computer.
1- be up at 6am, get everyone ready, I have two dogs who need to be fed too… lol, and get myself ready.
2- sit at my computer by 8am. No FB, NO Emails, NO instant messaging. I work until 1pm, have lunch then go for a long walk with my dogs, or a bike ride. I need that.
3- the rest of the afternoon is for other stuff. I am writing a book and I have to dedicate time to it as well
When I keep up with this schedule I feel good about what I do and about what I am trying to accomplish… I tell you it beats a day at the office…

Hi Michael:
OK I read through your procrastinations and no, I don't have a smart phone, I hate Face Book (sorry facebook). I only drink about two cups of coffee per day. My biggest problem holding me back is "Traffic". I was stuck on your old course and didn't quite understand all the mechanics of how everything fits together, but Market Samuri has really helped a lot in clearing all this up. I'm finally starting to get it. I really need to work on traffic though. The best program I've found to get through Word Press are the videos found on Justin's site. It would be nice if you could put together some videos like that because they really show you how to get around on WordPress. Most of the other tutorials I've looked at are hit and miss or a little here and a little there. It takes forever to figure them out but with the videos, you can go through them much faster and they are laid out well so you can figure them out better.
The other thing holding back tiime-wise is cooking dinner. My wife works and I don't so I end up cooking dinner and I cook everything from scatch to avoid all the garbally gook they put in the processed food. This preperation usually takes more time.
I do thank you for encouraging me to write this post, I hope you and the viewers find it interesting.

Good list, Michael. All sorts of distractions can prevent you from getting things accomplished. I don't have kids to distract me, but I do have high energy (sled) dogs that need 5 miles a day. I want to share a list of some of the things I've done to keep me on track.
1. Find a personal motto (mine are "failure is not an option" and "remember to kiss"). Make a big sign and put it above your monitor so every time you look up you see it.
2. Have a large stash of your favorite drink near your desk — mine is the super-caffeinated Monster.
3. Discover Google apps — I find the calendar and task bar in Google better than MS Outlook. I love Google's reminders. Keep your calendar open and make sure that you put due dates on all your tasks. Put everything you want to do for the day on your calendar and give the items times; 1 hour to write content, 1 hour to run dogs, etc.
4. Integrate all your various email accounts into one place and assign a time to check emails.
5. Don't FB, tweet, etc. unless you have relevant updates or things to say about your business. Leave all the personal social media to "me-times" and set a time to check for business related SM items.
6. If you have MS Project — use it! It keeps all your projects on time and budget. You know exactly where you are for each project.
7. Trying to multi-task too many things decreases productivity. My "to do" list only contains 3-5 items each day; if the projects are really involved, my daily list might only contain 1 or 2 things. If I have room for more after I accomplish the first 3-5, great. If not, I don't beat myself up for it.
8. Don't spend more than 8-10 hours at your "office". You need "mental health" breaks and "me/family time" to keep your sanity 🙂
9. Outline all projects and estimate time it will take to completion. Don't be afraid to adjust the times as necessary — stuff happens.
10. Keep a separate notebook next to your keyboard just to jot down new ideas. When you have time, you can refer to the notebook and evaluate the feasibility of each idea. Add the good ones to your task list.
11. Make sure you eat during the day and get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. For a while, I was functioning on only 5 hours of sleep and existing on chips and candy bars. Needless to say, it didn't turn out too well for me 🙁
12. Establish an "emergency code" with family and friends. Make sure they understand not to call you unless they're in dire straights while you are working. I don't want to hear from you to just chitchat during the day; if you've just gotten admitted to the hospital or your car got stolen and you need a ride home, use the code and I'll call you right back. If you just got thrown in jail, I may or may not respond.
Hope this helps some of you. Just remember, you can't do everything at once and you have to be realistic with your time allotment. It's better to overestimate time on projects than underestimate. Not to say doing this should be intentional. You should be more generous with time for projects you have never done before, because there is the old learning curve.

Hi Mike,
This is my first time commenting and it feels like I am walking into a huge new room with hardly anything on! Distractions….sorry for the visuals! I can say that I am used to distractions, I have a special needs child who does need me about every 20 minutes for something. She is the air I breathe and the one I thank for making me a better person, and I have conquered Patience just being her mom. I am serious about NBK now because of her future; I 'm over 60 yrs old. The way I get things done nowdays is all due to being the her mom. Since 80% of the time she has to come first, I have to create times when I can come first to work with NBK. I have disabilities that slow me way down, but I am so determined to WIN with NBK I get buried in it every day! So I think the most valuable gift I have, in order to be able to concentrate on NBK and be 100% for my daughter too, has by far, been Patience. Distractions and interruptions will happen endlessly, and if I can keep breathing, LEAVE THE WORK AT THE DESK, and OUT OF MIND FOR THE TIME BEING, I can see to the need and stay relaxed because I wasn't concentrating on NBK while trying to give my daughter 100%. Anyway, I want what you have MICHAEL S BROWN!! And I need to be fully alert to work with NBK to get there. Coffee and Patience, a lot of each. My goal is autopilot. Thank You MSB for NBK. And for your genuineness. To an old hippie like me, truth is everything. Thank you for bringing it around to us.

You speak the truth. When I stay at my computer all day working on things, my health deteriorates. Cell phone, tv, house phone, outlook, facebook — they all stop me from being productive. In order to get something done without interruptions, I have to cut it all off. I like to get my exercise done very early and then get started to work on the computer, but I don't always get my exercise in. I do know how important exercise is and need to make it a priority. Thanks for a great article.

Welcome in! I do hope you come back and chat with us more. Thank you for sharing your persobal story with us as well. The unique thing is we all have these type of set backs. It's gtting past and around those set backs that create success.

I really enjoyed your comments and come post more… Maybe next time you'll not feel naked coming into the room with us again 🙂

Hi my name is neal I tried make my own website my self I have a hard time with copy and paste adds from other websites I like to try with your online program I am not working wright know and have no money at this time to start do you have any ideals

I want to thank you for this everyone. Especially michael. This is one article and the comments of everyone that I do not consider a distraction. Michael and everyone else's share was exactly what I needed. About Jan. I purchased this program which i was crazey about. Then for the first time in years my office got every bug in town, and i got ill, ill again, and again, omgosh. Then with my focus broken, i couldn't get going. Well guess what this is the first day of the rest of my life and I am back and going. Everyone helped, and hearing the stalls, and the distractions was exactly my situation, i had every senario mentioned. And i will take Michael's and all of your advice, it was all good. I will print this article and put it on the wall, …. i am doing this for the same reason you did Michael, to get out of a job for the same reasons, i am determined, so i am sure you will see more of me as i get stuck or questions arise. i will ask for help if i need it. you have done the world a service by provide such a comprehensive program for such a great price. i watched the whole first one and now i am excited to start with your updated site and get going.
I agree with:
1. Set your work time schedule on a calendar
2. Turn off any distractions
3. do the big jobs/tasks first
4. Put glue on your butt and sit on the chair and stay there for time alotted except to eat and use restroom.
5. Totally get rest i like 7-8 hours and it's best to not go to sleep late and i am a night owl.
6. schedule fun time because if you don't you are not as productive and HAVE FUN….
and all the other great suggestions. and yes 1-5 tasks a day totally correct.
See ya'll soon, thank you very much, cj

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